CHARLOTTE – The Falcons did the Gloria Gaynor against the Panthers.
Despite doing nearly everything in their power to kick the game away, they survived. Just barely.
Thanks to the wayward leg of Graham Gano and the big paw of defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hagemen, the Falcons defeated the Panthers 19-17 after blowing another double-digit lead.
The win pushed them into a tie for first place with the New Orleans Saints at 4-6. They hold the tie-breaker on the strength of their season-opening 37-34 overtime victory over the Saints at the Georgia Dome.
As Ricky Bobby’s dad taught us in Talladega Nights, “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” He must have been thinking about the NFC South 2014.
The Falcons are first. Everybody else is last.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
GAME BALL I: Falcons wide receiver Roddy White gets one for eclipsing the 10,000-yard mark with a meaningful catch on the game-winning drive. White's final reception went for 11 yards and moved Atlanta onto the Panthers' side of the field with just under five minutes to play. "Ten thousand yards, it's great, it's a good achievement," said White, who finished the game with a team-high eight receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. "Some of the guys came over and gave me a nice hug, so it's good. But to win is more gratifying."
GAME BALL II: Kicker Matt Bryant was the star for the Falcons as he made field goals of 34, 42, 29 and 44 yards.
GAME BALL III: Big Shede gets one for his blocked field goal attempt. That would have been a horrible way to lose.
B – Quarterback: Matt Ryan completed 31 of 45 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown. He finished with a passer rating of 91.7. He tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to White. Ryan, like he has several times over his career with the Falcons, rallied the offense and drove them down for a field goal. In the 12-play, 54-yard drive, he connected with wide receiver Harry Douglas three times for gains of 12, 9 and 8 yards. Overall, he completed 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards during the clutch scoring drive, which stalled at Carolina's 26 and set up Matt Bryant's 44-yard field goal.
D – Running backs: It was a tough day for the running backs. The rushing attack was stymied as they ran for just 86 yards on 27 carries. It's pretty porous when you can't run out of your power formations. Devonta Freeman had a 15 yard run, the team's longest of the day. Steven Jackson rushed for 41 yards on 17 carries. It was the third straight game that he had more than 15 carries.
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B — Wide receivers/Tight ends: White, Jones and Harry Douglas helped to carry the offense. They caught 18 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. Devin Hester came to Douglas defense in the big fight, but then had a costly fumble. He had three catches for 43 years. Tight end Levine Toilolo had a big 20-yard catch to set up White's touchdown.
C — Offensive Line: The line didn't open any holes in the run game, but they did hold up in the passing game. Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder gave up a sack each, although some of the fans on twitter believe that Matthews' was a coverage sack or that Ryan should thrown the ball away. Just two sacks and five quarterback hits is a good day for the revamped unit that continues to bond.
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C — Defensive line: The Panthers rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries (4.2 per carry). Jonathan Babineaux had a strong game with three tackles and one tackle for a loss. Paul Solai also added three tackles.
C — Linebackers: Paul Worrilow led the Falcons in tackles with 9 and had sack. Prince Shembo, who played his high school football in Charlotte, played 23 of 66 snaps (35 percent) and finished with four tackles. Joplo Bartu played 24 snaps (36 percent) and also had four tackles.
C — Defensive backs: Second-year cornerback Robert Alford suffered a wrist injury that must be pretty serious. He didn't return to the game. Robert McClain and Desmond Trufant gave up touchdown passes. Trufant was in position and Kelvin Benjamin just stayed with a bobbled ball longer. McClain got caught peeking into the backfield. Kemal Ishmael and Trufant had interceptions. Dwight Lowery finished with six tackles and Dezmen Southward had a sack.
B-plus — Special teams: The blocked field goal attempt at the end and Matt Bryant's four field goals helped to secure this victory. Also, Matt Bosher boomed punts of 60 and 59 yards to flip the field position when the Falcons were twice backed up.
C-minus — Coaches: Ok, the Falcons must scrape the bubble screen for a few weeks. The Panthers were practically sitting on the play. On one play, the Panthers appeared to just tackle Jones before the ball was thrown. That caught Jones off guard. "I found out something that I didn't know," Jones said. "I thought when the ball was in the air, you can't touch a receiver. If the ball is in there air… I don't mind him trying to be physical and putting his hands on me, but if the ball is in the air I have rights to the ball. I can't compete for the ball because you're holding me down. I really didn't get that today. But now, knowing that going forward, I'm just going to be a little bit more aggressive." Another bubble screen was nearly intercepted after it popped up in the air. One fan questioned why the Falcons didn't go for two- after White touchdown, which would have made it 17-3. That's a good point. Also, after Trufant's interception the Falcons ran Steven Jackson twice in instead of attacking the Panthers and throwing to the end zone on first down.
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NEXT UP: The Falcons (4-6) play the Cleveland Browns (6-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons have not played in the Georgia Dome since losing to Chicago on Oct. 12. The Falcons went 2-2 over four road games, including a home game that was played in London. "Is it grass or turf in there," Julio Jones said. "They've probably remodeled the whole place. It will be good to get back to the fans. Back home, go out there and keep winning. We need to keep this thing going."
FALCONS FAN MAILBAG: We take your questions from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
GAME STORY: Falcons hold on for dramatic 19-17 win over the Panther s
NOTEBOOK: Robert McClain pressed into duty after Robert Alford's injury
RODDY WHITE goes over the 10,000 yards receiving mark
DESMOND TRUFANT comes up with the interception this time
QUOTEBOARD: What the Falcons had to say after the win over the Panthers
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